An Irish-Palestinian family waiting to escape Gaza remain uncertain but hopeful about when they will get to leave.
The Department of Foreign Affairs told the family in a text message this morning it had not received any confirmation about when Irish citizens will be able to get out of the wartorn territory.
As many as 35 Irish citizens remain trapped in Gaza as hundreds of foreign passport holders have continued to depart through the Rafah border crossing in the past two days.
Aymen Shaheen, his wife Suha, his 19-year-old daughter Rawan and 13-year-old son Ibrahim moved from Gaza City in the north to Rafah in the south at the start of October.
Before this they lived in Dublin for nine years, but returned to live in Gaza this summer.
At present the family is waiting in accommodation located metres from the Egyptian border, but four kilometres from the border crossing.
The family, all of whom have Irish passports, is awaiting word about when Irish passport holders will be allowed leave Gaza.
Speaking to RTÉ Morning Ireland, Aymen Shaheen said the Department of Foreign Affairs contacts him daily but there has not, as of yet, been confirmation about when he and his family can leave.
"The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs are in daily contact with me. They told me that travel crossing for today it is open but it is not for the Irish passport holders.
"It will be country by country within the coming days. I am waiting for when they will tell me when we can leave, when the Irish nationals will be able to move," Mr Shaheen, who is a politics lecturer, said.
The Department said in a text to Ayman this morning that "As of 10:37 Irish time" it had "not received confirmation of when Irish citizens will be able to cross the Rafah Crossing".
A spokesperson for the Department said it is working to ensure all Irish citizens are able to leave Gaza as soon as possible.
"We are not in a position to comment on the detail of individual cases - it would not be helpful to do so," said the spokesperson.
